The Original Irish History, with Priceless Footnotes
Foras Feasa ar Eirinn
From the Earliest Period to the English Invasion

Keatings History of Ireland complete 3 v. set
By the Reverend Geoffrey Keating, D.D.
Translated from the original Gaelic, and copiously annotated,
by John O'Mahony

From Rare 17th Century Manuscripts
Irish Genealogy & Family History, index, maps, hardbound, gold stamped, complete 3 volume set.One of Few Surviving Works
This is one of the finest surviving works on Irish history. It was originally written in 17th century gaelic by Dr. Keating. The edition was fully translated into modern English by O'Mahoney, including voluminous footnotes which could be made into a book unto themselves. This is the entire 3 volume set, and the rare translation by O'Mahoney, published by the Irish Genealogical Foundation. "Seathrún Céitinn", the author, is better known in English as "Geoffrey Keating". He served as a historian, poet and clergyman in 17th century.
This book, his "History of Ireland" or "Foras Feasa ar Éirinn", or "Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland", was originally written in the Gaelic language, in the 17th century, during the reign of Charles I of England.

Rare O'Mahoney Translation
This set includes all three individual volumes complete. Volume 1, the rarest of this trio, is from the earliest times to the coming of St. Patrick, including the legends, ancient peoples, oral legends and battles of the day. The footnotes alone are priceless. Volume 2 takes up from the time of St. Patrick to the Norman invasions, giving more details of Irish history and folk culture as no other work has including the Viking Age, the High Kings, and the time of Saints and Scholars. Volume 3 holds the ancient genealogies and locations of the clans with ancient pedigrees and family trees. This volume also holds the master index to all three volumes, and a new surname index.

Top Quality Bindings
All three books are hardbound, gold stamped, with a quality smythe sewn binding. The endsheets to these volumes are of a distinctive type, and all in all over 850 treasured pages of Irish heritage and tradition. Dr. Keatings 17th century manuscripts are preserved with the publication of this 3 volume set. This set is new.

Each volume has covers that have been hot stamped in black and gold on a green cover. Hardbound with a quality smythe sewn binding to insure a long lifetime of use. Inside, the endsheets are specially decorated in each of these three books as well. Two indexes are given. One for the entire book, and one for the family names.

Table of Contents: Volume 1 - From the Earliest Times up to the Coming of St. Patrick. (400 pages) The Ancient Tribes and Peoples...The DeDanann...The Ferbolg...The Picts...Scots....The Parthelonians...Ancient Divisions....Ancient Legend....Family Names Map....The Gaels (Celts)....Oral History and More !

Volume 2 - The Age of St. Patrick up to the Norman Invasions. (300 pages) St. Patrick....The Viking Age....Kings & Nobility....Age of Christianity....Ard-Righ....The Monastic Age....Literature and tradition.

Volume 3 - Ancient Irish Genealogies & Topography. (150 pages)
Line of Milesian Descent....Topographical Poems on Irish Families....Geographical Divisions...Ancient Family Locations...Legends of the Clans....Lands and Titles...Indexed by Surname...Ancient Pedigrees...Material to assist The Family Researcher...includes the master index to all three volumes and the IGF surname index.

Sources Used by Keating for this book
In Dr. Keatings preface he gives the following sources as still in existance, some of which have disappeared in later times, "the Psalter of Cashel; The Book of Armagh; the Book of Cluain-Aidnech-Fintan in Leix; the Saltair na Rann; the Book of Glendaloch; the Book of Rights; the Uidhir of Kiaran; the Yellow Book of Moling (St. Moling); and the Black Book of Molaga, including the Book of Conquests; The Book of Provinces or the Book of Fifths that contains all the genealogies of all the Gaelic families and tribes in each province; The Book of Reigns; The Book of Epochs; The Book of Synchronisms; the Book of Topography; The Book of Pedigrees of Women; The Book of Etymology; the Grammar of Kennfaela the Learned; The Amra; and more...

Introduction to Keatings History
The following material is taken from the introduction to Keatings History:
"It is with a great deal of satisfaction that we have come to make Keating's 'History of Ireland' available to the public in this 3 volume set. Reproduced as originally published in 1866 (taken from the original 17th century manuscripts), we have an opportunity to glance at Ireland's proud heritage. Additional material has been added to volume 3, including a surname index and geographical illustrations. It is advisable for the uninitiated to make a brief survey of the geographical guides contained in volume 3. A basic understanding of Ireland's more ancient divisions is necessary to fully understand Keating's commentary."

Oral History and Legend
"As stated by O'Mahony (the translator) in his notes written in the 19th century, archeological and scholarly discoveries have come to shed new light on Ireland's past. This statement, made in the last century remains true to this day....this data is often used to catagorize fact from legend. A history as rich in legend and tradition as Keating's (which includes some 400 pages on the period prior to St. Patrick), will reflect the historical memory of the Irish peoples....intertwined with the oral history, are the raw facts of the matter. Be not too quick to classify all legend as fantasy, for the roots of legend are often based upon fact as modern archeology has come to show, even in the 20th century."

The Final Word
One of the most noted histories of Ireland ever in print. New. O'Mahony translation. ( You can learn more about translator John O’Mahony and author Geoffrey Keating in the Irish Roots Cafe here at Irishroots.com.) Hardbound with thread sewn binding for generations of use, decorative endsheets, two color gold stamping on all covers. 850 p., 6" x 9". indexed, charts, maps, 3 vols..